If a vacation on the frontier offers appeal, then Oklahoma is the ideal spot for a vacation with the flavor of the Old West. The Sooner State offers Western history, Native American tradition, and sweeping scenery that summons images of the past. One of the last states in the continental United States to join the union in 1907, Oklahoma retains an independent spirit and celebrates its’ pioneer heritage.
Oklahoma City is the state’s largest city and offers many opportunities for a look back at the state’s frontier history. Begin at the Red Earth Indian Center, part of the many faceted Omninplex at N.E. 52nd Street and Martin Luther King Avenue for an in-depth look at the state’s earliest inhabitants. The Red Earth Indian Center features exhibits and artifacts that date from prehistoric times to the present. Each June, the Red Earth gathering draws Native Americans from around the country to one of the nation’s largest Native American events and powwows. The Omniplex also houses an air and space museum, art galleries, greenhouse and historic gardens, a science museum, and a photography hall of fame museum.
Another local history venue is the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center just west of I-35 and I-44 on 63rd Street. A thirty-two acre complex features a huge collection of pioneer artifacts, Western art, exhibits on both pioneer and Native American life, and a rodeo hall of fame. The Oklahoma National Stockyards on Exchange Avenue are the largest in the state as well as among the world’s largest. The stockyards district is home to much more than cattle and processing plants. For the best steak in town, visit the Cattleman’s Steakhouse in Stockyards City. The restaurant dates to 1910 and the steaks are tender, fresh cut, and of the finest grade.
A look at the pioneer life of the homesteaders can be seen at the Harn Homestead and 1889er Museum near the State Capitol. The ten-acre homestead includes a 1904 farmhouse, the original cedar barn, outbuildings, and more. Frontier City, a recreated 1880’s frontier town and amusement park, offers a lighter look at local history. The park offers rides with a Western theme including roller coasters dubbed the Diamond Back, Silver Bullet, and Wildcat. Staged gunfights are part of the daily fun at Frontier City, located just off I-35.
Reminders and remnants of Oklahoma’s frontier heritage are not limited to Oklahoma City. Down the interstate in Anadarko, Indian City USA features an outdoor museum with seven different recreated Native American villages from several tribes, a Southern Plains Indian Museum, a Native American Hall of Fame, and a Crafts Center. Located in the wooded Oklahoma hills, Indian City USA is well worth a visit. Native dances are also performed for visitors.
In Lawton, Oklahoma, historic Fort Sill remains an active military post today. Visitors are allowed on post to visit the Fort Sill Military Reservation and National Historic Landmark. The Old Post area still has the look and feel of the frontier – it dates to 1869. The Old Stone Corral features frontier memorabilia including horse-drawn vehicles, teepees, a blacksmith shop and a trader’s store. Other interesting sites include Geronimo Guardhouse where prisoners were held with Native American displays, the Quartermaster Warehouse, and Cannon Walk. There is also a Fort Sill Museum and of interest to many visitors, Geronimo’s grave is located on post.
The Museum of the Great Plains in Lawton is another stop for the history buff and Western enthusiast. Located in Elmer Thomas Park, extensive exhibits detail various facets of Oklahoma history. Living history programs are often offered and on the way into the park, look for the huge prairie dog town.
Outside Lawton, the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge offers a drive through scenery that is breathtakingly beautiful. Prairie grasslands are home to buffalo, longhorn cattle, elk, deer, and wild turkeys. Above the prairie, the vivid and eroded Wichita Mountains rise into the sky. Drive up Mount Scott, the highest point in the Wichitas for a scenic view and visit the visitor’s center in the heart of the refuge. An audio driving tour can be obtained at the center. The 59,020-acre refuge is open twenty-four hours a day but the winding road to Mount Scott closes at dusk. Visit the Meers Country Store on the edge of the refuge for a huge hamburger or other meal in a building that once housed an authentic general store.
On the other edge of the state, visit the Cherokee Nation, a nation within the borders of the United States. In the Cherokee national capital of Tahlequah, visitors will note that street signs are in both English and Cherokee. The Cherokee National Heritage Center provides a historical view as well as a recreated ancient village, a turn-of-the-century settlement, and a nightly drama that portrays the Trail of Tears, the forced resettlement that brought the Cherokee people to Oklahoma. Each Labor Day weekend, the Cherokee National Homecoming draws Cherokees and friends from across the country for a festival, traditional games, and a large pow-wow. Near the city of Sallisaw, visit the home of Sequoyah’s Home Site. Sequoyah invented the written Cherokee language.
In Muskogee, the Five Civilized Tribes Museum features historical information and artifacts related to the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, and Seminole tribes. The small town of Fort Gibson a few miles away features a recreated early Army post. The stockade was rebuilt in the 1920’s but several buildings from a later period remain and can be toured.
The Roman Nose State Park outside Watonga was once the winter camp of the Cheyenne. Amenities at the park include cabins, fishing, horseback riding, and canoes. A walk through the cedar filled canyon summons images of the past and Chief Henry Roman Nose who lends the park his name.
A Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska preserves the past with thousands of buffalo that graze the grasslands. The Visitor Center is housed in a former cowboy bunkhouse. Since Pawhuska is the capital of the Osage Nation, visitors can tour the Osage Tribal Museum and the Osage County Historical Museum.
Along the shores of the Grand Lake of the Cherokees in northeastern Oklahoma, near Grove, Har-Ber Village is a recreated pioneer city. Jones Truck Lines founder, Harvey Jones and his wife Berniece, collected the antiques that fill this small city. Most of the buildings including several log cabins are authentic and were brought to the site over several years. The original gallows from Fort Smith, Arkansas are found along with a brick church built by slaves, a schoolhouse, doctor’s office, general store, and much more. Free to the public for many decades, a small fee is now charged to tour Har-Ber Village but it’s well worth the price.
Oklahoma is filled with history. Countless other museums preserve the frontier days and the past. In the summer season, rodeos continue the traditions of the cowboys who rode the open range and numerous pow-wows are the focal point of Native American culture.
Details on Oklahoma frontier vacations can be found at www.TravelOk.com.
